Metallurgical process.



heat units may be use i i E I E non.

THOMAS LEOPOLD WILLSON AND MAXIMILIAN MATTHIAS HAFF, 0F OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA; SAID HAFF ASSIGNOR TO SAID WILLSON.

METALLURGICAL PROCESS.

963,345. No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 5, 1916). Application filed April 26, 1909. Serial No. 492,359.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THoMAs L. WILL- one or more additional metals. Such products are useful in desulfurizing, dephosphorizing and deoxidizing metals, and especially in the refining and treatment of iron and steel: and the improved process permits the obtaining of such products in large quantities, and at comparatively low cost.

We have discovered that by smelting a mixture of compounds of silicon, and one or more compounds of additional metals,

with calcium carbid a double or multiple silicid of the calcium and the additional metals are obtained. In this way the silicon may be utilized as a means for combining metalswhich it has heretofore been difficult or impossible to combine, such for example as calcium on the one hand, and iron, aluminium, magnesium, tungsten, vanadium, nickel and analogous or other metals. The smelting is preferably performed by exposing the mixture in the presence of carbon to the action of an electric arc, although other methods'of supplying the necessary 2 As specific examples of the process of obtaining the silicids, the following descriptions refer to processes which we have carried out ;-Example'l:"1& mixture of calcium carbid .(CaC containing probably a certain amount of a compound of magnesium, ground of unreduced materials gave the following analys1s:-'

Silicon 37.2 per cent. Calcium"; 23.3 Iron 4.4 Aluminium 2.74 Magnesium 4.96 Silica (SiO,) 16.80 Carbid (CaC,) 10.9

No. 1. N0. 2. No. 3. Silicon. 54. 57 76. 20 47. 60 Calcium 31. 12 11.44 40.4% Tron 4. 71 9. 40 7. 87 Aluminium 2. 83 3. 30 2. l2 Magnesium--- Undeter- Undeter- Undetermined. mined. mined.

The sand used in these two examples analyzed as follows:

Silica (Si0,) 96.55 Lime (CaO) 0. 77 Iron oxid (Fe O 0. 7 5 Alumina (A1 0 0.82 Magnesia (MgO) 0.28

The current measured 40 volts, and 6000 amperes.

The metals other than calcium which appear in the product may have been introduced to a greater or less extent either as impurities of the coke or as unreduced magnesia, or other impurities of the carbid.

The quantities of the metals other than calcium which are desired in the final product may be secured by properly selecting substitutes for or additions to the sand indicated in the above examples. For example, a higher percentage of magnesium ordinary clay containing substantial quantities of both silica and alumina. Similarly the iron content of the pnoduct can be in creased or a suitable content of tungsten, vanadium, nickel and other metals may be obtained in the product by the introduction in addition to the silica, of iron ores, Wolframite and oxids, or other compounds of vanadium, nickel and other desired metals.

The invention is applicable to original materials of various compositions to obtain correspondingly varying products; and it is to be understood that the compounds referred to may be either natural or artificial and may contain other elements than those specifically referred to.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. Smelting a mixture of compounds of silicon and at least one of the compounds of the following metals, namely, iron, aluminium and magnesium with calcium carbid to obtain a silicid of the calcium and the above named additional metal on metals.

2. Smelting a mixture of compounds of silicon, carbon and at least one of the compounds of the following metals, namely, iron, aluminium and magnesium, with calcium carbid to obtain a silicid of the calcium and the above-named additional metal or metals.

It witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS LEOPOLD WILLSON.

'MAXIMILIAN MATTHIAS HAFF.

Witnesses:

RUssnL S. SMART, PEARLE CARRoW. 

